Battle of the Seasons Premiere

I watched the premiere in parts - the first 18 minutes online during my lunch break, and the last hour-ish at home at midnight - so forgive me if these thoughts are rather fragmented. 

These people are young. Wes and Alton are like, 'my time.' I didn't even watch St. Thomas, so I don't know they're names. 

Could they really not find another 4-person season? Mixing Nany and Dustin with Alton and Trishelle is just weird when everyone else is from the same season. Could they really not find another season with 4 people willing to compete? 

Could we have tried....

A real Las Vegas 2.0 - Heather, Leroy, Naomi, Cooke, even Mikey? They weren't available?

Hollywood - Would have been awkward since Joey just died, but Kim, Nick, Dave, Brianna, and Brittani have all been on Challenges before. 

Sydney - Cohutta, Dunbar, Isaac, KellyAnne and Shauvon have all been on Challenges. And, come on, who wouldn't love to see a Wes and KellyAnne reunion?! 

Denver - Colie, Jenn, Davis, Tyrie? I just did the casting for you. 

Key West - Possibly the best possible casting for a battle of the seasons. Take your choice between Johnny, Tyler, Svetlana, Janelle, or Paula. 

*I chose not to go back further than this simply because the next older cast not represented was Philadelphia... and CJ looked old the last time we saw him. 

Dear Sarah and Chet, your strategy is ridiculous. The strongest guy and strongest girl should immediately make an alliance to stick together. Saying that you want to make it to the end with the weaker of the two guys on your team, when you are obviously a strong girl? That's stupid. 

Relationship update: 

Austin - Danny and Melinda, still divorced. The betrayal of Wes and Danny is apparently water under the bridge, though. 

Cancun - Jonna and Jasmine BFF? Weren't they just on Rivals?

NOLA - Jemmye gave Knight's clothes away after her cheated on her. But these two are adorbs. And so funny. And I want them back together. 

San Diego - Zach and Ashley are done-zo (and now he's hooking up with Jonna. That's going to end badly). And apparently Frank and Zach are BFF now, too?

Wes, it was nice to have you back.... I love/hate Wes. Love him for the drama, but generally hate him as a person. This season though, he's the only guy that really knows how to give a good interview, and thus, the only funny person (so far). His statement that all the new kids will listen to him because they are 'fans'? Awesome / awful. 

Albeit, briefly. Is it okay that I'm a little disappointed Wes went home first? I mean, you couldn't have written it better - 'strongest' and most experience player gets sent home early, leaving a divorced couple as teammates - but, like I said, he's a character. It seems odd to not have him around. 

Way to underwhelm us, FreshMeat. I wanted the mystery team - no matter who they were - to come in with a sense of entitlement, a sense of power. These people were never in a house or a bus or anything - Freshmeat contestants were chosen just to compete. I don't want them losing. I don't want them to have drama. I almost wish they didn't live in the house with every one. I want them to just show up and compete. Something more like CT and Tina were in the elimination rounds a couple season's back. I want enforcers. 

Was that a battle?

Anyone else think MTV's Battle of the Exes was a little light on the battling?

I was sort of hoping more of these exes would hate each other.... that something shady happened to make them dislike each other, even if it was off the air.

Mark and Robyn dated for a long time.... yet, they're named as exes who get along really well and can communicate. (Secret confession: I hope they win. Poor Robyn has been doing this for a long time.) Heather doesn't seem to have any resentment towards Dustin. Rachel claims Aneesa mistreated her... yet they seemed to be strategizing for the mission just fine. Cara Maria even called Abram 'babe'!!

So far, the biggest 'battle' is that one of the two still harbors feelings for the other. That's lame.

And all the CT/Diem will they/won't they is going to make me puke. They aren't some fairytale couple. Yes the whole taking the wig off thing was adorable when it happened.... but can I remind you that CT used to be a complete monster? Sure he hooked up with Shavon and that's 'disgusting', but remember what happened after that? The whole trying to kill Adam thing? I'm not over that.

I know it's only the first episode.... but bring on the fighting! the drama! the backstabbing!

I listened to an ESPN podcast so you don't have to.

But really, you should listen to it. Because it is awesome. Who knew ESPN was so interesting? Hat's off to you, Bill Simmons.

Gossip from Johnny Bananas:

• On the Twitter feud between Wes and Derek: Wes was 'juiced out of his head' on The Duel when he beat Derek in the pole wrestling. And 'since he hasn't accomplished anything in the last five years',  combined with Derek's competitive nature, it just erupted online. PS: Bill and the other host compared Wes' steroid scandal to Mark McGwire! haha. 
• Johnny seems to be more proud of this win than the past ones (The Island and The Ruins) because those were all team competitions. This one was closer to an individual competition and was the toughest he's ever done. 
• The host referred to Johnny in his Cutthroat elimination round with CT as 'Johnny Backpacks'. I LOLed.
• On a rematch with CT: Johnny calls it the 'vindication he needed.' In sports, you almost always get a chance for redemption- you play the team again - but it isn't like that in the Challenges. You might never see that person in an elimination again. This one couldn't have been scripted better. 
• On the final challenge with the helicopters: Conspiracy! The helicopter ride for CT and Johnny was considerably worse than it was for Leroy. According to Johnny, the producers had an agenda. They have an idea of who they want in the elimination round. 
• On Adam throwing the final challenge: Johnny doesn't believe it. 'The mob' did try convincing him early on to throw challenges to send CT home, but once they started winning (and he started hooking up with Jenn) it was over. 'That guy did not want to leave', Johnny says of Adam. They tried getting in his head and failed. And Johnny respects him for it. 
• According to Johnny, there's a reason why people keep getting asked back (for the record, he's done seven shows). 'You are there to film a TV show.' Is it real? 'As real as it can get in the environment you're placed in.' Three things drive these shows - drama, sex and alcohol (more on that later). They need people to drive the plot and narrate the story. They never tell you what to do or say, but once you've done it enough you can figure it out. 
• On the sex: There's more going on than they show. They are only allowed to film what happens under covers... The more public you are, the less likely it will ever air. 
• On alcohol: On The Island, they were starving (Johnny lost 28 lbs, they were fined for stealing food from production, didn't get more than fish and rice each day). They weren't able to get proper medical attention for hornet stings, but somehow, magically, there was a new keg of beer and case of wine there everyday. 
• On communication with the outside world: New executive producer Justin Booth runs the show like boot camp - no cell phones, no books, no magazines, no computers, now no calls at all (but how did Cara Maria call Abram this season?). They live and breathe the show 24/7, which is what drives people a little nuts. Does it make for good TV? Johnny's not sure. Seems to him that there needs to be a balance. They used to get days off and he thinks that provided more fun drama than crazy drama. 
• On Tonya: Says she is singlehandedly responsible for the limits on alcohol on the show now. Her (and Katie Doyle) would be drinking at 8am and drunk by 11am, would show up to challenges and eliminations wasted. 
• On the other girls: Paula is pretty much a guy, Jenn and Coral are 'fiesty'. Robin and Katie Doyle are nuts, too. 
• Robin was hooking up with an MLB player when he was starting out with the Yankees.... I heard rumors it was Derek Jeter? Confirm or deny?!
• On the HBO drama: Unintentional or not, this is his brand. You look up 'johnny bananas' on YouTube, and you find him. Don't steal his thunder. Bill (or the other host) likened it to The Wire  - 'He's on your corner... You got to get him off your corner.'). And the plot thickens... Mark Wahlberg, who produces Entourage, was on Diem's show and said he was a big fan of the Challenges. Soooo he obviously knew Johnny Bananas was taken, right?

Click here to listen to the whole podcast, which has a lot more reality TV goodness including Bachelor Pad, Basketball Wives, etc.

RIVALS. 4 Thoughts on the Finale.

Four thoughts on the RIVALS finale...

1. Wes. You suck. I know, I know. You 'carried' Kenny all the way through. Mr. Beautiful wasn't so amazing this season. But maybe you're only good at little challenges and not the final mission. This is twice now that you crapped out and the last time it was Mandy yelling at you to get up! Not encouraging given her performance last night...

2. Jenn and Mandy..... sigh, head shake. You suck, too. The whole tent thing wasn't a joke. It wasn't ridiculous.  TEN other people completed it before you. You just gave up and threw a hissy fit. Hey Jenn, I love ya - but maybe all those people who say you coast thru challenges to the finale without ever 'earning' your spot in an elimination challenge are right.

3. Leroy asking for mac n cheese..... ADORABLE.

4. One of these things is not like the other.... Did The Key West cast just kill it or what? Paula + Johnny + Tyler were all on the same Real World season. I did a little Wikipedia snooping and found that 6/7 cast members have done Challenges and 4/7 have WON them. Is this the best Real World/Challenge cast? Any ideas of one that would beat them?

[EDIT: Just poked around on the Wiki a little more and it appears that Austin has the same stats as Key West (6/7 competing; 4/7 winning) AND the seasons were back to back. Weird. But Real World: Boston has everyone beat with 7/7 competing and 4/7 winning. But I know Challenges used to be different (didn't they happen on the actual season? With the Real World cast competing against the Road Rules cast?). Also, for the record, Real World: New Orleans (the second one) sucks. They've done ZERO Challenges!]

I just emailed this to a friend.... and I figured it was easier than writing a blog post.

Thoughts on last night's RIVALS:

I'm not saying Laurel was okay in calling out Paula's anorexia and stuff, but why is it okay for Paula to be a total bitch to people (like Cara) if she can't take it? She said on the aftershow that she didn't know Cara was upset by it.... so what? Laurel didn't know you were upset by it til after she said it either.

I love Kenny when he is with Laurel and he is nice. Someday he will have t choose between his old friends (Paula, Johnny) and his new ones (Laurel). Not this season, but someday. Obviously Paula and Johnny aren't big fans of Laurel.... so if they are ever on another challenge together it will be like 2 alliances.

I sometimes forget Ev is even on this season. She's been quiet....

I can't believe Kenny + Wes and Johnny + Tyler didn't talk about what they were going to do if they were up against each other for elimination. I mean, didn't they think 'What if CT and Adam win (which was likely) and Lee and Mike lose (also likely).' It ended up being the opposite, but still. And WHY didn't everyone just cancel out their votes so CT and Adam made the final decision???? It should have gone down like this.... Paula/ Ev vote for Johnny and Tyler. Mandy/Jen vote for Kenny and Wes. Laurel/Cara for Johnny/Tyler. Mike and Lee vote for Kenny/Wes. Then Kenny Wes votes for Jonny Tyler and vice versa. That's three votes each, right? Then CT and Adam would have been about to pick. No one could be mad about that. Am I crazy? It seems too simple!

However, I am looking forward to a Johnny + Tyler + CT reunion in the elimination round! How funny that they are the two that had to go against him in the last challenge!

Oh hey Jonna.

Looks like somebody has been on a Challenge-ish show before!

And yes, I totally used to watch this.

RIVALS.

I should really liveblog The Rivals because I sit there the whole time thinking of what I want to comment on in a blog post..... and now I forget. Here are a few thoughts on the first episode (of the greatest show in the world):

TJ! I love TJ and love that everyone was so happy he was back. I know he hasn't always hosted (remember Johnny Mosely and Dave Mirra?), but the show wouldn't be the same without him. PS: Why don't they have segments with TJ on the Reunion or Shit They Should've Shown? I bet he's got some great behind the scenes stories to tell!

Wes and Kenny. The edit of them going back and forth about how they hate each other was brilliant. Kudos to you, MTV. I know everyone else as gotten in fights and stuff, but these two's beef is real. Girl drama trumps a drunken argument any day.

You tell 'em Roy Lee. Speaking of Wes.... trying to manipulate the new kids? Nice try. Adam might have fallen for that but kudos to Leroy for telling Wes he wasn't going to trust him. Why? Because he's gonna win and won't need his vote anyway. BAM.

The Rookies win? I'll admit, I was surprised that rookies swept the first challenge, but honestly, I don't think it means anything. Leroy and Adam Mike stand a good chance, but Jasmine and Jonna? No way.

Jen + Mandi = BFF. Did you see the way Jen was helping Mandi when she got knocked over in that fight?  Maybe they got over all that beef from last season.... We. Shall. See.

Aneesa and Robin go home. Eh, is it bad that I don't really care. They are vets. I like them. But the only people I would have rather seen go home were safe. Why oh why did you have to win, Jasmine and Jonna?

Do I trust this new CT? Hell to the no.

The Final Challenge

Let's just get right to it.... How do I feel about Red team winning?

Eh.

I didn't want them to win based on how they played the game towards the end (regarding Brandon and Paula), but that little montage of Brad's past challenge days made me happy he came out with a win. Call me sentimental, whatever. It did, however, make me wish Paula was there with him in the end though. After 7 Challenges, that girl deserves a win.

And the losers.....

Gray. Ah, what a clusterf&#k. How do you go into a final with the MOST players (5) and end with 3? Seriously, has that ever happened? Losing one person in a final is bad enough, but two? Ridiculous. I wish that TJ ould have told them they were DQed because they lost a player. That is how it was when Eric was taken away on Gauntlet III. Other than that, I'm disappointed in Sarah. She made it to the final on The Ruins with just KellyAnne and competed so so well... and here, well, she sucked. As for Abe? Ugh, I just hope this is his last challenge. He is so annoying.

Oh, and I feel bad for Laurel. I know a lot of people don't like her, but I do. And coming in second twice in a row sucks. I hope she wins soon.

And Blue. What a fight. I could have watched the Jen and Emily show for the whole hour. I wished D would have been there with them.... Maybe then they would have had a chance at winning. Either way, both Jen and Emily have established themselves as strong players (I always worried Jen was more bark than bite....) and hopefully they'll be back on another challenge soon.

Speaking of.... when is the next one?! I'm so ready.

And a quick side note..... Why bring in CT and Tina for one Gulag? I wish they would ahve been incorporated into the show more. Maybe they should do a season American Gladiators style, where the contestants have to compete against 'heavy hitters' like Tina and CT in order to win. Hmmmm.... MTV, hear me?

Cutthroat is going to give my a heart attack.

Seriously, I shouldn't get this worked up about an MTV show... but I can't help it.

1. Johnny vs CT? Ridiculous.

2. Since when did Abe become commander in chief over there on gray? Has he ever made it to a final? Sarah and Laurel both have.... maybe they should be in charge.

3. Poor Paula. My beef here is not with Dunbar. My problem is with Tori wanting to throw in the towel last week because she thinks she will cost her team the final and then this week she's all like, 'I went in last week, it is your turn.' Ummmm WTF. Just proves that she was faking it last week.

Cutthroat: A Day Late

Some thoughts on Cutthroat.... a day late, as usual. 

1. Laurel and Sara, good thing you didn't throw the challenge you dumbies. Did it not occur to you that if you underperformed in order to lose, you would look weak and they would vote you in the Gulag? And even if you are awesome, Luc-Abe-Cara Maria are all voting the same so it would be 3-2. YOU would be going into the Gulag. NOT Cara Maria. 

I'm interested to see what happens if they throw the next challenge. Would Abe vote in Cara Maria now that it is getting down to the end and he's seen how good Laurel is? And who would they vote in for the guys? Luc because he is weaker? Or Abe because he has a better chance at winning? As much as I get their plan to trim the fat and make a smaller team, having two guys in the finale as opposed to just one seems like a way better plan. 

2. I hated that challenge. I would not have been able to handle it. Then again, I couldn't really handle any of the challenges....

3. CT and Tina? Interesting twist. I feel like that could have/should have been the Gulag the entire time. However, I do have some issues with this.... These are past competitors that may or may not have beef with some of the current competitors, so what's stopping them from rigging the game? Example, CT doesn't like Johnny so he tries really hard to slow him down. CT does like Tyler so he cuts him some slack. I'm not saying that is what's happening, but it could, right? Or how fair is it that now Tori gets to go against Tina when she is worn out from dragging Teresa around? I get that they flipped a coin and picked the order, but still.... kind of defeats the whole fair fight aspect. 

4. And is it juts me, or did Teresa do a little too well against 'heavy hitter' Tina? Teresa is teeny tiny. I feel like Tina could have done better. 

5. Tori, ah Tori. I hate you right now. I didn't before, but I do now. 

I get it. The final is usually running. And you can't run. If you leave, your hubby has a better shot at winning. This all makes sense. But here's what doesn't....

Why the hell did you come on the challenge AT ALL if you knew the finale was running and you were going to quit at the end? Why the hell would you go through kicking of Camila or even Melinda or Mandi? What if they COULD run and could have helped your hubby win the final? And did you think at all about Paula? If you go home tonight and red loses the last challenge (very likely), Paula has to go into the Gulag and might lose. And you're all like 'Paula, I want you to win the money.' She can't win if she's at home, idiot. If you are going to 'sacrifice yourself', why not wait until the last challenge before the final instead of putting your teammates at risk? 

You know why this doesn't make sense? Because it is all a lie. Tori did not come up with this stupid excuse because it was bets for the team, she's doing it because it is best for her.... she is afraid she is going to lose against Teresa (and now, Tina) so this is just a rather convenient excuse. 'Oh, she only beat me because I wasn't try as hard because I wanted to go home' or 'because my heart wasn't in it' or maybe she won't even compete at all and just give up (wouldn't TJ love that!). This is ridiculous. I can't decide if this 'giving up' strategy is better or worse than Ty's. 

6. Oh, but how cute was Brad? 'I'm your husband and I love you.' Swoon. 

Cutthroat Update... a little late.

1. My apologies for taking so long on a post about Cutthroat.... whoopsie daisy.

2. Laurel in the gulag?! Are you freakin' kidding me?! I'm not even joking... my heart was racing, my palms were sweating, I was freaking out (I know, it isn't healthy to be this invested in a television show... whatever). Anyway, thank god she won. Here is what I have to say to her team...
Sarah- good job. You're normal.
Cara Maria- You don't really suck that bad, you're just not as good as Sarah and Laurel. Sorry, Charlie. Stop being mushy with Abe and get ready to go in the gulag if your team loses again.
Abe- You're dumb. And weird. And seriously are crazy to throw Laurel in just to keep your little snuggle buddy around. And don't say it's on performance when you admit that you are keeping Cara around because she's cute. Pshhh.
Luc- Ah, Luc. Buck up, kid. Stop doing what Abe tells you to do and think for yourself. (Although, you had a good point in saying Laurel should go in because she is the one who can for sure beat the other team's players.... you should have ran with that.)

3. I'm sad Dan went home. I like him (sober).

4. Camila... I don't care. Seriously, why is she such a victim? I don't really think she rocks it in any challenges. She's good.... but most the girls left are too. Jen and Johnny and Derick coming to her defense is stupid. If she was on their team, they would be sending her in too. Why? Becasue she sucks? No. Becasue she is flirting/conspiring with the other team? No. I'll tell you why.... because she is a rookie. No matter how good you are... these people have known each other for years. They have been competing trying to win this money for years. You... haven't. You're out.

5. That's CT and Tina they keep showing in the previews right? Where will they go?

Twitter Hearts Live TV

Just finished reading this Fast Company's article about Twitter driving people back to must-See, live, appointment TV, and I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree. A lot of emphasis is given to the whole DVR, watch-it-online, streaming-thru-Hulu-or-Netflix phenomenon that is going on out there, but live TV is not dead.... thanks to social media.

 “[In the last 18 months], I think we actually saw the pendulum swing back toward things like shared experiences, back toward live TV. I think Twitter, of course, is one of the things that drove this." 

-Robin Sloan (who can be found here)

I love my DVR, really I do. But when I'm watching Hawaii Five-0 and tweet about Kevin Sorbo making a cameo or blast out via GetGlue that Christian Shepard is romancing Nora on Brothers and Sisters it is a little less exciting when I'm watching the episode days later. Not to mention, sort of irrelevant.

I've always loved TV, duh, and it is probably one of the reasons I started loving social media too. My first @ mention came from Becky Buckwild (of VH1 Reality TV). Some of the first 'strangers' I started following were people who were talking about Real World/Road Rules Challenges or America's Best Dance Crew. I saw the power of live tweeting during the 2009 VMAs.

Am I going to give up my DVR? No way, Jose. But I will say my heart breaks a little when I can't watch (and tweet) about my favorite shows as they are happening.

Does that make me addicted to television? Yep, probably.

Camilla the Outcast

I haven't blogged about the new RW/RR Challenge once this season, so it seems kind of funny to be jumping in right now when we're already a few episodes in, but whatever. Today, I saw this post on MTV's Remote Control blog about Camilla making herself an outcast by befriending Johnny.

If you want to gain your teammates' trust on "The Challenge: Cutthroat," then it's probably a good idea not to become besties with character-killing competitors like Johnny Bananas. Somehow, Camila missed that part, cuz she's been hanging out with JB even though her entire team is against it. Paula even explained to her that her "friendship" with him was the precise reason she was voted into the Gulag, but she just didn't seem to get it. Even though Camila defeated Katie in the Gulag and returned to her team, has she done enough to earn their trust, or is it too late? 

Ok, I get it. Johnny plays dirty. He has totally burned bridges with a bunch of people on the red team, most notably (in my opinion) Paula. So it makes sense that Miss Walnuts herself would be warning Camilla against spending so much time with him, right? Sure.

But this is just a ridiculous excuse. What girls are left on the red team besides Camilla? Tori, Paula and Melinda. All vets. All vets who seem to get along really well. None of them are crazy. None of them pick fights or get really drunk, they are (gasp!) normal. And they're pretty good competitors too. The reality is that none of those girls want to go in the Gulag. None of those girls want to vote each other in. So why not keep sending in little ole Camilla (who, for the record, wasn't even on Real World or Road Rules or even Fresh Meat. She is from the stupid Spring Break Challenge. Lame).

I'm not saying she should go in or she shouldn't. I'm just saying that all this Bananas bull is just an excuse.

And in other news.... What was up with Ty? I seriously think that he faked a mysterious injury because he was afraid he'd lose to Brandon. Ty is real nice to look at, but think about it- he has pretty much underperformed in every challenge so far. As much as he thinks he is the 'most athletic one on the team' (his words, not mine), he really is the weak link (maybe even weaker than my beloved Big Easy who went home last week? Sigh). PLUS, just the day before at the challenge, Ty saw Chet say he had a headache and felt weak and couldn't see straight... and they stuck an IV in him and rushed him to the hospital. Why wouldn't Mr. Ty think he could just say, 'I can't move,' 'I need to lay down' bla bla bla and people would think there was actually something wrong with him. Instead of facing his competition, maybe losing with some dignity, he gave up. Now he can always say, 'I never lost in a one on one challenge, I was hurt and couldn't perform.' Bull with a capital S.

See No Evil

MTV Shows

This meat may be rotten by now.

So now the Freshmeat season has come and gone and I never blogged about it like I promised you I would. Sorry. Here is how I feel about some of the drama throughout the season...

On the idea of Freshmeat in general...

I love it. I love The Challenges. I loved Road Rules. Real World? Not so much. Yes, I still watch it. But post- Las Vegas it has turned into just partying. All. The. Time. Freshmeat guarantees that we are bringing in athletes to compete and keep these Challenges alive! Look at the past Freshmeaters who are now Challenge (dare I say) legends- Evan, Kenny, Casey, Diem, Big Easy, Ryan, Ev. 

Team Kenny or Team Wes

Mr. Beautiful all the way. I know he is cocky. I know he can be a jerk. Whatever, I don't care. He's hilarious. He proved this season that he is a strong competitor (I think in the past, he has depended a little too much on the strong players in his alliances a little too much). I may eat my words later, but he can do no wrong in my book.

Speaking of, where can I find that 7 Eleven commercial that they did?!

On the finale...
Of course, I wanted Kenny and Laurel to win. I like Carly. I love Landon. They tried to play a fair game and they are good people. But Kenny and Laurel deserved to win. (And you all know it).

They dominated pretty much every challenge. They were, no doubt about it, the strongest team. The only reason Landon and Carly won was because of that head start. If it hadn't been for that, Kenny and Laurel would have sure won.

Maybe Laurel was rude to call out Carly at the Reunion (okay, not maybe... it was rude), but she was right. If Carly had been with another guy, she probably would have lost. If Landon had been with another girl, he probably still would have won. He is a beast.

On Wes... just in general. 
I have never ever liked Wes. Let's just get that out of the way. However, being this close to Kansas, I have met some people who know him and say he is a really nice guy and it must just be editing. Wrong. No way you can edit a person to look as bad as Wes.

My bet? He is a nice guy in real life, but he plays these Challenges like a brat in order to get more screen time (perhaps to 'get famous' like he criticized Kenny for on the Reunion?).

However, this season, Wes = jerk.
1. You got Darrell (one of my all time favortie players) kicked off because you were bitter. Rude.
2. You tried to go against Kenny. Stupid.
3. You turned on your BFF Danny. Trust me, I'm not a Danny fan either, but that was seriously not cool.
4. You think you are hot shit. You're not.
5. You hooked up with Theresa when clearly there was still something going on with KellyAnne. This isn't about me standing up for girls (I think KellyAnne is crazy), this is about me calling you a hypocrite. Did you not get mad at Johanna just because she hooked up with Kenny on The Island after you guys broke up? Yep, I am pretty sure you did. How is this not the same thing?
6. And then, you talked about how Theresa meant nothing right in front of her. Again, rude.
7. You sucked in the Exile. Seeing the reverse of you screaming at Casey in Freshmeat I, with Mandi yelling at you on that mountain was pathetic on your part.... but satisfying on mine. Thanks for that.

On the final exile- Ryan vs. Jen...
I love Ryan, but am glad Jen and Noor won. Admit it, they were more deserving. They actually won one of the challenges, whereas Ryan just rode on coattails the whole time. Ryan, I love ya though. I hope someday you win a challenge.

On Ev being a bitch. 
Nothing really to say about that. She's a good competitor, but really, she is a bitch. But I hope she keeps doing these shows so I have someone to hate on. Thanks.

I'm sure throughout the season I had a lot more thoughts about the show and probably should have blogged about them, my bad. But ask me anything, really, anything, and I'll tell you.

I love the Challenges.

YES. Freshmeat II

The Ruins: Reunion thoughts:

1. Wes and Johanna were never engaged?
2. Johnny's hair is out of control and Kenny and Evan should not be friends with him.
3. KellyAnne = Crazy Eyes.
4. Dunbar & Katie, why were you even there?
5. Brad & Tori getting married in 4 months! Soooo cute.
6. And come on people, Evan and Kenny are not the 'mean girls.' In fact, Evan, will you marry me?

@morsz the ruins could've easily been written by sophocles

I'm not sure if this tweet is talking about MTV's The Ruins, but based on last night's episode, it is very likely. It was EPIC. Johnny tells us on the Aftershow that even if you win these challenges, you need the money to pay for therapy. Sadly, I believe him.

"I think I popped my f-ing implant"- Shauvon
The MXC-type challenge of swinging around a fence into a wall turned out to be pretty easy- and boring. Good thing Shauvon popped her implant and made it more exciting! After Shauvon is whisked away by ambulance, the Champions win (duh). Turns out, she did not bust her implant, but has some serious bruising on her chest and stomach and has to take all these pills and be on bed rest and... You gotta hand it to those MTV editors- that whole sequence of Shauvon explaining her injury back at the house was brilliant!

On the Aftershow, they aired some unseen footage from the challenge of Kenny calling Dunbar 'Dummy Bear' and saying he could be in a gay men's magazine. That obviously didn't go over well with Dunbar, who proceeded to scream in Kenny's face. At least you know Wes isn't the only one having hissy fits...

"I need a drink... It's about to be World War III in here" -Syrus
Let's see, in this episode we had Wes being called a psychopath (by Johanna) and a maniac (by Susie), as well as heard Johnny threaten to 'light up every freckle on his face.' Wes has some serious anger issues with the people in the house- specifically his own team. Wait til next week when he realizes they have no intention of pulling names out of a hat.. uh oh.

Oh, and on the Aftershow he called Kenny fat. And smelly. And a loser who sleeps on Batman sheets at his parents house. (Newsflash Wes: I do not care. Kenny is also smokin' hot).

Wes better start playing nice though, because at the end of the episode, Johanna dropped quite the bombshell. Turns out her name is the sole name on the deed to the once engaged couple's house, and Johanna threatens to sell it and keep all the money if Wes keeps throwing challenges. Damn girl! Well played.

"I've got to take my stake in Real World/Road Rules history" -Nick
So our players in the Ruins are Nick and Wes (duh), and bff's KellyAnne and Ev (obviously that decision did not go over well, see below). They were calling this battle 'epic', but I'm not so sure. The only thing really epic about it was the sudden downpour, and even that stopped by the time the girls battled it out. And, no offense, but did Nick really think he would beat Wes? I sort of felt bad for him, because that was a pretty pathetic showing. Poor Nick.

"Put the visor aside" -Ev
Here is an example of a good strategy gone bad. The Challengers and Champions all want insane KellyAnne (um, hi, did you hear her psycho laugh at the end? And what is this rumor about her being on steroids?) to go home, and all know Ev can beat her (and pretty much every other girl... and some guys too). So they send them in against each other. Whoops.

I guess these two formed some bond on The Island and are now BFFs, which leaves one very, very angry Evelyn. Ironically, she believes the person that 'betrays' her is Johnny. Back on The Island, Ev 'sold her soul to the devil' (her words, not mine) and helped Johnny, Evan, and Kenny win, shattering their alliance with Paula. She may call these guys 'horrific human beings,' but hey, karma's a bitch. Somewhere out there, Paula Walnuts is laughing.

Now Ev has a decision to make. Send her friend packing and join a team that 'betrayed' her? Or go against her competitive nature and let KellyAnne win? Believe it or not, she really does 'put the visor aside' (is her visor a metaphor for her competitive edge or something?) and purposely loses the battle. On the Aftershow, she calls throwing it the hardest thing she has ever had to do (wow, rough life), especially since she would have dominated the competition (humble much?).

At least we were reminded how much TJ hates quitters.

Not only did we get one awesome hour of drama, but we got an extra half hour with the Aftershow too, which posed some great questions-
Is Johnny really a genuine guy? Maybe. He was actually super nice, or at least honest, to Wes, KellyAnne, even Ev.
Do KellyAnne and Ev use 'Mane 'n Tail' to get their hair that thick? Quite possibly. Or maybe they are both on steroids.
Is Mark the best host ever? Yes.
And finally, are these challenges more like Monopoly, Clue, or Sorry? Answer unknown.

where do I even begin?

Last night's 90-minute premiere of The Ruins (probably the longest Challenge episode on MTV ever) provided me with a ton of juicy drama. We already had our first fight (although it was nothing compared to Adam and CT last season- scariest five minutes of television I have ever seen), drunken mess (Tonya), and relationship drama (see below). Oh yeah, and Chet and Diem went home (sorry Challenger girls, you lost your leader in the first week).

love triangles... or pentagons?
Usually with these things, you have your fair share of past hook-ups/legitimate relationships reunited, but this time it is out of control. For all you Cohutta's out there, we will go through this slowly.

Wes and Johanna met on RW: Austin and started dating, eventually getting engaged. After they broke up, Jo went on The Island and began a very public, very intimate, 'courtship' of Kenny. On that same deserted island, we saw RW: Sydney alums KellyAnne and Cohutta canoodling. Those two also met and dated on their original show. After the show, both couples broke it off (no surprises there), but the real shock came on the Reunion Special, when we learned that KellyAnne is now dating Jo's ex Wes (dun dun dunnnn).

And now they are all in Thailand for The Ruins. In one house. And some of them, on the same team. Oh, the drama.

Tonya = one hot mess
So Tonya has always been a little on the crazy side, but this season, it's out of control. The veteran even admitted that maybe she was a little 'unstable' (um, ya think?). I think that moving back to your hometown of Walla Walla, Washington, after seperating with your husband, probably isn't the best time to go on a Challenge.

You do, however, get to see that these people do (sort of) care about each other (even Ev was just joking/drunk when she was making the 'Walla Walla wombat' comments... which were hilarious, by the way). You see Syrus and Adam encouraging her after her fight with Ev; the girls giving her a bowl to puke in; and Chet's convo on the stairs with her the night before the elimination was seriosuly adorable ("I don't really know you that well... but you should probably drink less"). Even Evan told MTV's Remote Control Blog, that they are Tonya's 'family,' and he was glad she was there with them during that time of her life. Isn't he sweet?!

Wes and KellyAnne are the new Speidi
So maybe more people watch The Hills (and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here), but I think Wes and KellyAnne will be the new most hated MTV couple. I mean, people already didn't like them individually, and when they started dating, many said it was just Wes' revenge on Jo's public 'relationship' with Kenny. But then they come to Thailand and make it so much worse.

Wes makes is own 'apartment' in the basement of the house? Says he will throw missions til he gets his way/all the power? Come on, Wes. Maybe this strategy would work on a regular Challenge when you had rookies on your team- but these people are the Champions. They are almost all bigger, stronger, meaner, and most definitely, smarter than you.

And then we get into the Darrell and Wes fight (um hi, Darrell is a boxer and could kill you)- seeing KellyAnne hold people back and hearing Wes say, "My girl says I can go, so let me go," was seriosuly disgusting.

off the show drama
We all know these kids are friends outside of the Challenges (trust me, I follow them on Twitter. Last week, Evan went to the movies with Emilee and Dereck from RW: Cancun), and, as much as they try not too, they always bring outside drama to the show with them. Some of the scoop we got last night:
-As if the relationship drama wasn't enough, Evan doesn't trust Wes because he repeatedly denied he was coming on the Challenge, only to show up in Thailand anyway.
-Dunbar and his g/f broke it off and him and Kim tried dating, but there was 'no spark.'
-And the biggest shocker no one is going to explain for us? Adam and KellyAnne hooked up by 'accident'?! wtf.

The Ruins! RW/RR Challenge is back!

Last night I got the text I have been waiting for...
New season of RW/RR challnege starts on September 30th!

I missed the MTV trailer, but here is what I could dig up online. 'The Ruins' 18th installment of the Challenge series takes place in Thailand (sweet), is hosted by TJ Lavin, and pits Champions against Challengers.

The rules this time get a little tricky. Before each challenge, each team will nominate six people -- three men and three women from their ranks -- to be eligible for "The Ruins." After every challenge, the winning team will split $$20,000 evenly. Then, the winning team's lucky six nominees will be "the match-makers" who will select which man and woman from each team will be sentenced to "The Ruins." The selected men will have their "Ruins" competition and so will the women. The losers will be sent packing. Only the players that make it to the end will walk away with the cash they've banked and compete in the finale for an even bigger prize.

Details, details. You just want to know who is competeing!

The Champions are...

Darrell Taylor: RR Campus Crawl; champ on the Gauntlet, Inferno, Inferno 2, and Fresh Meat
Derrick Kosinski: RR X Treme; champ on Inferno 3 and the Island
Evan Starkman: <3>
Evelyn Smith: Fresh Meat; champ on Inferno 3 and the Island
Ibis Nieves: RR XTreme; champ on Gauntlet 2
Johanna Botta: RW Austin; champ on Gauntlet 3
Johnny (Bananas) Devenanzio: RW Key West; champ on the Island
Katie Doyle: RR Quest; champ on the Inferno
Kenny Santucci: Fresh Meat; champ on Inferno 3 and the Island
Susie Meister: RR Down Under; champ on Gauntlet 2
Syrus Yarbrough: RW Boston; champ on Extreme Challenge (?)
Tonya Cooley: RW Chicago; champ on Inferno 3
Veronica Portillo: RR Semester at Sea; champ on Challenge 2000, Gauntlet, and Inferno
Wes Bergman: RW Austin; champ on the Duel

And on to the Challengers...Adam King: RW Paris
Brad Fiorenza: RW San Diego
Brianna Taylor: RW Hollywood
Casey Cooper: Fresh Meat
Chet Cannon: RW Brooklyn
Cohutta Lee: RW Sydney
Danny Jamieson: RW Austin
Diem Brown: Fresh Meat
Dunbar Flinn: RW Sydney
Kelly Anne Judd: RW Sydney
Kimberly Alexander: RW Hollywood
Nick Brown: RW Hollywood
Sarah Rice: RW Brooklyn
Shauvon Torres: RW Sydney

Pretty much an all-star lineup. Here is what I find interesting....

-The Challengers do not have a single Road Rulers. A couple of Fresh Meat kids, which was pretty much Road Rules, but still. Maybe it's time to do another pure RW vs. RR Challenge to see how it shapes out.
-Is Darrell the most winning contestant of all the Challenges? He definitely is on this team. I wonder if this will make him top dog or something.
-Reunions of Wes and Johanna? Kim and Dunbar? Cohutta and Kelly Anne? and Veronica and Katie?!
-It will be fun to see how friends/alliances that are split up this time around react to the change. The Austin kids are split up. People that are usually competeing with the vets- like Diem and Brad- are now stuck with all these newbies.
-Speaking of newbies- how many of these kids are rookies?

Ah Evan. I heart you.